degreasing a chest

october 8 2008

Last week I had to kill some time between appointments and walked into a second hand shop.
I saw a chest and it looked wonderful.
The top needed some work, but the front was OK.
Nice woodwork border under the top to give it just that little delicate look I like.

You're already guessing it: I fell for it.

To be sure I wasn't making a mistake I asked one of my sons and his father to go and have a look, and they ordered it.

Yesterday it was planted in the livingroom.

Without the yellow shoplight, the junk around it, it looked junk itself and if I wasn't used to so many disappointment and stress in my life I would have shed some tears and thrown it out.

The top was crap.
All sorts of stains.
And making it worse someone had put wax or something fat on it to make it shine.

So that's fat and dirt underneath.

Me oh my!

I felt like buying a bottle of terpentine and wash the whole fat off, but instead I went on internet, found a site of someone who restores furniture and asked him for help.

He adviced soda carbonate (White washing soda granulate)with just a little bit of water.
It made me think of the sand, soap and soda my gram used to clean the wooden floors.

The fact that the chest didn't cost much made me have a go at it, and it worked!
With a very raw cleaningcloth I rubbed it in, and then cleaned it as many times as necessary with a damp cloth untill the cloth stayed clean.

The top is almost ready.


This afternoon I'll try to attack the front.


It works for me and I'm sure it'll work for you.




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